Vehicle ventilating means



April 2, 1963 F. REYNOLDS VEHICLE VENTILATING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 3. 1960 IN V EN TOR.

Lewis P Reynolds.

A TTORNE Y April 2, 1963 L. F. REYNOLDS VEHICLE VENTILATING MEANS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3, 1960 INVENTOR. BY Lewis 1 Reynolds.

ATTORNEY April 2, 1963 L. F. REYNOLDS 3, 8

VEHICLE VENTILATING MEANS Fil'ed May 3. 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 4- INVENTOR. 9

Lewis P Reynolds. BY

United States Patent 3,083,631 VEEECLE VENTILATING MEANS Lewis F. Reynolds, Meadow/brook, Pa, assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pin, a corporation or Pennsylvania Filed May 3, 1960, Ser- No. 26,639 7 Claims. (Cl. 98-14) This invention relates to vehicle ventilating means, especially for railway cars, and has for an object the provision of improvements in this art.

One of the particular objects is to provide improved means for circulating air inside a vehicle and selectively adding fresh air from outside.

Another object is to provide an improved inlet and closure means therefor which is easily operated and which forms an eflective weather seal when closed.

Another object is to provide improved operating means for a closure.

Another object is to provide an improved mounting for the closure.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention and various features of novelty will be apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying drawin gs wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a railway car embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic section, partly in phantom along the line 22 of FIG. 1, to show piping;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged outside elevation of the roof dome which houses a ventilating unit, the view being taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 1, the section also being shown on FIG. 6;

FIG. 6 is a broken plan view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 6 but showing a modification; and

FIG. 9 is a broken transverse vertical section taken on the line 9--9 of FIG. 8.

A vehicle, such as a railway car 19, is provided along its length with a plurality of ventilating units 11.

Each ventilating unit comprises a ceiling fan 12 which is mounted on an open-work spider support 13 in position to have its blades 14 located at such a distance from the ceiling 15 that air from the car can be freely drawn in for recirculation.

Each fan is located below a ceiling-roof opening having a vertical duct 18 extending upward for a distance above the roof. Above the upper end of the duct 18 the roof is provided with a bonnet, dome or blister 19 protecting it from the weather, the dome having vertical sides with screened panels 28 to admit air and exclude weather, insects, etc.

Interiorly oi the dome the duct 18 is provided with a vertically movable closure 21 which has an annular seal 22 with the upper end of the duct in closed position. The closure has a depending cylindrical projection 23 provided at the lower end with an inturned annular flange 24- guided along the outside of a cylindrical support 25 mounted on a spider member 26 secured across the lower end of the air duct.

The upper end of the cylindrical support 25 is provided with an outturned annular flange 27 forming an interior guide for the cylindrical projection '23. A coil compression spring 28 is disposed within the annular enclosed space between the tubular members 23 and 25 and acts against the annular flanges 24 and 27 to assist gravity in returning the closure to a tightly sealed lower position. Plastic elements 2% and 27a are secured on the flanges 24- and 2.7 respectively to ease and quiet the movement. Nylon, Teflon and the like are suitable, among others.

The closure 21 is raised by a pneumatic motor comprised of a sealed corrugated bellows 30 secured at opposite ends to the spider member 26 and the closure 21. This bellows is of considerable diameter and its sides are confined within an enlargement 25a of the walls of the tubular support 25 so that the power operating device in itself holds the closure level in its raised position, the guide flanges of the tubular members, of course, aiding in this action. The annular coil spring 28 also aids in stabilizing the position of the closure. The spring and power device are fully separated from each other and fully enclosed for complete protection from the weather.

The air enters in an annular space so it can be most eflectively mixed and circulated in all directions by the fan. The fan itself includes an inner shroud 14a carrying the blades 14; and an outer fixed shroud *31 forms an enclosure around the blades. The shroud 31 and an annular air guide ring 32 are carried on resilient supports 33 which also support the spider 1-3.

Fluid is supplied to the pneumatic bellows power motor 36 by an air line 35 controlled by a valve '36 regulated by a thermostat 37. The control may be exercised in various ways. For example the thermostat can be set to cause the ventilating closure to open whenever the ambient vehicle temperature exceeds -F. and to close below 85 F.

A guide louver 4a is carried by the spider 13 below the annular space between the shrouds 14a and '31 for spreading the air forced down by the fan.

In the form shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 the general arrangement is the same as before and corresponding parts are referred to by the same numbers with a prime added.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 differs from that shown in the other figures because it includes a plurality of elongated, closure support members comprising a rod 23' having its upper end connected to closure 21 and an outwardly extending flange 24' secured to the lower end of the rod. A plurality of tubular cylindrical supports 25' are secured to the sides of duct 18', each of supports 25 having at its upper end an annular, inwardly extending flange 27 through which rod 23 passes. A plurality of springs 28' are mounted between and bias flanges 24' and 27 apart. A pneumatically operated bellows 30 has one end mounted on support frame 26 which extends across and is secured to the sides of duct 18'. The other end of bellows 30' is afiixed to closure 21' whereby actuation of the bellows causes the ventilating means to operate in a manner similar to that of the first embodiment.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described for purposes of illustration it is to be understood that there may be various embodiments and modifications within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Vehicle ventilating means comprising in combination, an inlet duct mounted in a roof opening in the vehicle, an air circulating fan mounted to the roof at a distance below the bottom of said duct, a domed cover for said inlet duct having lateral louvered side inlet openings, said cover being mounted on the ceiling roof and arranged at a distance above the upper end of said duct to prove an inlet plenum around said duct, a movable top closure for said duct, a first tubular member connected to and projecting down from said top closure into said duct leaving an annular air space in the duct therearound, a spider member secured across the lower end of said duct, a second tubular member inside said first tubular member secured at its lower end'to said spider member, an inturned annular flange on the lower end of said first tubular member, an outturned annular flange on the upper end of said second tubular member, an annular compression coil spring mounted in the enclosed space be tween the tubular members and between said flanges to urge said closure into its lower closed position, and a pneumatic bellows mounted between the upper end of said second tubular member and said top closure for opening said closure into said plenum.

2. Vehicle ventilating means comprising in combination, a duct mounted through a roof opening in the vehicle, a movable closure for sealing the upper end of said duct, a depending tubular member connected to the bottom of the closure and position concentrically inside said duct leaving an annular air passage therebetween, an annular inturned flange on the lower end of said tubular member, a spider support mounted across the lower end of said duct, a fixed upstanding second tubular member within said first tubular member and mounted on said spider, an outturned annular flange on the upper end of: said second tubular member, said flanges of each said tubular member mutually moving along the other said tubular member to guide the first tubular member along the second tubular member, a compression annular coil spring mounted between said flanges for urging said closure to a closed position, and a pneumatic bellows mounted between said upper end of said second tubular member and said closure for opening said closure.

3. Vehicle ventilating means as set forth in claim 2,

which further includes a circulating fan mounted at a distance below the lower end of said duct.

4. In vehicle ventilating means, the combination of: an inlet duct adapted to be mounted in the roof of the vehicle; a moveable closure for'sealing the upper end of said duct; a movable tubular member connected to said closure for movement therewith and projecting downwardly from said closure into said duct; a stationary cylindrical support mounted in said duct concentric to said tubular member; said tubular member having at its lower end an inwardly extending first flange; said cylindrical support having an outwardly extending second flange op posed to and spaced from said first flange; spring means mounted between and biasing said flanges so that said closure is biased in one direction; and pneumatically operated bellows means supported by said cylindrical support and connected to said closure for moving said closure in the, other direction against the bias of said spring means.

5. Vehicle ventilating means as set forth in claim 4 and including a spider frame disposed below said duct; an air fan supported by said spider frame below said duct; and a louvered cover supported by saidspider frame beneath said fan.

6. In vehicle ventilating means, the combination of: an inlet duct adapted to be mounted in a roof opening in the vehicle; a movable top closure for said duct; a plurality of vertical tubular members connected to the side of said duct, each of said tubular members having an inwardly-extending, annular flange at its upper end; a plurality of elongatedclosure support members securedat their upper ends to said closure, each of said closure support members extending downwardly through an associ. ated one of said annular flanges and having at its lower end an outwardly extending flange opposed to and spaced from said associated annular flange; a plurality of coil springs mounted between and biasing said flanges so that said closure is biased towards a closed position; a support frame extending across and secured to the sides ofsaid duct; and a pneumatic bellows connected between said support frame and said closure for moving said closure to an open position against the bias of said springs.

' 7. Vehicle ventilating means in accordance with claim 6 and including; an air fan disposed below said duct; 21 louvered cover below said fan; and a spider frame independently supporting said fan and said cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,185,267 

1. VEHICLE VENTILATING MEANS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, AN INLET DUCT MOUNTED IN A ROOF OPENING IN THE VEHICLE, AN AIR CIRCULATING FAN MOUNTED TO THE ROOF AT A DISTANCE BELOW THE BOTTOM OF SAID DUCT, A DOMED COVER FOR SAID INLET DUCT HAVING LATERAL LOUVERED SIDE INLET OPENINGS, SAID COVER BEING MOUNTED ON THE CEILING ROOF AND ARRANGED AT A DISTANCE ABOVE THE UPPER END OF SAID DUCT TO PROVE AN INLET PLENUM AROUND SAID DUCT, A MOVABLE TOP CLOSURE FOR SAID DUCT, A FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER CONNECTED TO AND PROJECTING DOWN FROM SAID TOP CLOSURE INTO SAID DUCT LEAVING AN ANNULAR AIR SPACE IN THE DUCT THEREAROUND, A SPIDER MEMBER SECURED ACROSS THE LOWER END OF SAID DUCT, A SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER INSIDE SAID FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER SECURED AT ITS LOWER END TO SAID SPIDER MEMBER, AN INTURNED ANNULAR FLANGE ON THE LOWER END OF SAID FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER, AN OUTTURNED ANNULAR FLANGE ON THE UPPER END OF SAID SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER, AN ANNULAR COMPRESSION COIL SPRING MOUNTED IN THE ENCLOSED SPACE BETWEEN THE TUBULAR MEMBERS AND BETWEEN SAID FLANGES TO URGE SAID CLOSURE INTO ITS LOWER CLOSED POSITION, AND A PNEUMATIC BELLOWS MOUNTED BETWEEN THE UPPER END OF SAID SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER AND SAID TOP CLOSURE FOR OPENING SAID CLOSURE INTO SAID PLENUM. 